


Their Paths Have Crossed Before

by 50s_housewife_with_a_dark_secret



Series: Detroit: Become Human Fics and Imagines [5]
Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Dead People, Depressed Hank Anderson, Detectives, Detroit Police Department (Detroit: Become Human), Gen, Hank Anderson Swears, Lies, Non-Linear Narrative, POV Third Person Limited, Poor Life Choices, Suicide
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-03
Updated: 2018-12-30
Packaged: 2019-09-06 10:37:12
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 9
Words: 2,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16830964
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/50s_housewife_with_a_dark_secret/pseuds/50s_housewife_with_a_dark_secret
Summary: From the Story Prompt: Two men in an old age home exchange life stories. They slowly come to realize they are by no means strangers. Their paths have crossed before.





	1. They

He knew right away that something was wrong with Connor. Something was...off. It was like everything that had happened, the case, everything, was just...gone. He wouldn't make the same mistake twice. Connor came to say hello. Pretended to be the man he was before, and when his back was turned, Hank shot him. Things were disorganized after that, but the army was still there, so the government still had to work with the androids. Hank didn't care. It didn't matter. He had lost two sons. He was ready to die. 

* * *

It didn't work. He ended up in an old age home instead, with doctors fussing over him and pretending to give a damn. He hated it. They kept a close eye on him. He wasn't going anywhere. He spent a lot of time staring at his wall. 

* * *

After three years, they gave him a roommate. "They stuck you here too, huh?" The old man asked. The man. Hank was just as old as him. No reason to lie to himself about that. 

"Yeah. Fuck off." Hank responded, barely audible. 

The other man just laughed. "Fair enough." He joined Hank and they stared at the wall in silence. 


	2. Visit

Artie (the other man) had a daughter, Della, and she vists him after a few weekends. 

Once she has left Artie turns to Hank. Artie is in a better mood than usual and it is grating. "Just yesterday, I swear she was a baby." Says Artie. 

"That's how time works." Says Hank. 

Artie just laughs off Hank's bitter sarcasm. "Yeah I guess so. She took me to a garden. I've never felt so old in my life."

Hank doesn't answer.

"Y'know what I mean?" Artie presses. 

"We're in an old age home, Arthur." says Hank, still not looking away from his phone. 

"Y'know we saw some of her old high-school friends there and she didn't even wave to them? I don't know where she got it from. She's normally so outgoing." 

Privately, Hank thinks it made a lot of sense. Nobody lives here because their family _wants_ to be associated with them. It is a quiet place for old nobodies to be tucked away until they can die, without anyone having to feel too guilty. He doesn't tell Arthur that though. If the asshole still has his kids, let him enjoy that. Let him think they care. He isn't hurting anyone. 

* * *

Artie asks stupid, stupid questions. Questions like. "Whose the sassiest person you ever met?"

Hank doesn't answer. 

"Oooh come on there must be someone."

"Don't you ever shut up?" 

"We've got nothing better to do than talk." says Artie. True enough, but Hank has dealt with plenty of 'sass' in his life and he doesn't want to answer that anyway because--

"I was a cop. My partner was this real innocent looking guy. At first I thought he really didn't know his ass from his elbow, but after a while, I realized he was fucking with me." 

* * *

Artie has a stash of weed that he hides from the orderlies. Hank doesn't rat on him because Artie hasn't ratted on Hank for slipping out to get junk food and alcohol when he's not supposed to. 

The ice stash though, that's a surprise. Hank comes home to a red cloud. He coughs uncomfortably. 

"What the hell is this?" 

"Just reliving my glorious youth." Says Artie with a stupid hyped-up chuckle. "Here try some."

"I don't want any fucking ice." Says Hank. 

Artie shrugs. "More for me, asshole." 

It doesn't matter if Artie does Ice. No one will miss him anyway. Hank still hates the way it clouds the room.

"I was on a task force for that shit." Says Hank, just to make Artie uncomfortable. He's lying in bed but he still does his best to glare at Artie across the room.

"A what? Huh?"

"A task force. I was a cop and they had me on a red ice task force."

"You ever try any of the evidence?"

"Fuck no." Says Hank and turns away from Artie in his bed so that he's facing the wall. 

* * *

"I wish I'd been somebody else." Artie says. 

Hank doesn't dignify that with a response. He's still trying to sleep and it's too early for Artie's weird musings. 

"Something stupid. Y'know? I'm too smart for my own damn good. I should have been a hotdog vendor or someshit."

"What were you?" Hank asks, against his better judgement.

"A surgeon. I was pretty good at it too for a while." Says Artie. "I mean. Who the fuck in their right mind would expect me to be a surgeon?" 

"You were probably a fuckin' con artist anyway." Says Hank, though he's probably biased. 

"Probably." Says Artie. He doesn't even sound offended. He doesn't even sound like he's talking to Hank, really. Or even to himself. He's just making sounds. 


	3. Fear

"Fuck" Artie is moving faster than Hank thought he even could, tearing up his own pillows and mattress. "Fuck fuck fuck. Where's--you! You fucking! You did this!"

Hank doesn't bother denying it. "So?"

"Where the fuck is it?"

"By now, somewhere in the sewer, I don't know." Says Hank. 

"Fuck you." Says Artie, but he's too frail to act on the violence shining in his eyes. 

* * *

Artie calms down after a few days. Gets his shit together and is back to being annoying and asking too many questions. 

"You got any family?"

"What's it to you?" Hank says.

"Just wondering. Figured they might visit sometime." 

"Nah." Says Hank. "I'm not cut out for that shit." 


	4. Born

"How old are you anyway?" Artie asks. 

"Fuck off." Says Hank. 

"Just making conversation. Me, I was born back in 82."

"1985" 

"Only nineties kids remember." Says Artie

Hank huffs out something that isn't quite a laugh. "You grow up here?"

"Nah." Says Artie. "I grew up in North Carolina. Moved here for work." 

"Huh." Says Hank. 

"You?"

"Born and raised." Says Hank. 

Artie nods. 


	5. Suspicions

It's probably just a coincidence, Hank figures. There's no reason for Artie to be _that_ surgeon in particular. He wouldn't be. The odds are...well whatever the odds are they aren't high, probably. 

"And when I was ten Marta was born" Artie is saying. Hank focuses back on him. Hank is going to figure this out. Maybe it's nothing. It's probably nothing. 

"You have any siblings."

"No." Says Hank, staring Artie down, uncertainly. "My family is all dead." 

"Oh." Says Artie, looking for a response. 

"Don't worry." Says Hank, hoping that Artie is stewing in it. "You don't have to say anything. I get it." 

Artie looks sorry. Maybe he should be. 


	6. Artie

The way Hank looks at Artie that day is...weird. There's something off about it, like he's asking a question without words, or accusing Artie of something. "My family is all dead." Hank says. He's probably just being surly...probably just like usual...but somehow it doesn't feel like that. Usually, Hank barely talks, but lately he's been answering questions, he's been _asking_ questions. Maybe this is the Hank version of warming up to someone? Finally being friendly? Some guys don't know how to be friendly so they just act different flavors of mean. Maybe Hank is just one of those guys. 

"What was it like being a surgeon?" Asks Hank.

"It was alright. Towards the end an android did most of the actual operation shit for me." Says Artie. "Steadier hand." He shrugs. 

"s'that so?" Says Hank, with that same weird look.

"Uh, yeah. Pretty good success rate too. Good thing I don't need a job anymore." Says Artie. "We're obsolete, buddy."

"I'm not your buddy." Says Hank. "Just because we're both screw ups doesn't make us friends."

"What makes you think I'm a screw up?" Archie laughs nervously. What is Hanks problem?

"Call it a hunch." says Hank.

Artie tries to laugh it off again but Hank is still staring him down. After a minute Hank mutters something and puts his earbuds back in. For once, Artie is glad not to be talking anymore. Maybe Hanks mind is going, maybe he hates Artie, maybe he's just an asshole. Whatever it is, there's something off about the guy. Something scary. 


	7. Games

"Personally, I liked Zelda. How about you?" Asks Artie

"Mario. I liked Mario." Hank admits. 

"Huh. Never could get into that one." Says Artie. "I remember this one time though, my sister absolutely whupped my best friend at it. He was in tears too. The whole 'beaten by a girl thing'" Artie says. 

"Huh." Says Hank. "Sounds like your friend was an asshole."

"Oh I don't know." Artie defends. "I mean it was the nineties, you know." 

"I know. I remember the fucking ninties. I was there." Says Hank. 

Artie laughs. He has such a grating laugh. 

* * *

There's an organized group trip to see some stupid touristy landmarks. Hank opts to stay home, despite the nagging concern of the orderlies. 

"Are you sure you don't wanna go?" Asks Artie one last time before he leaves the room.

"Leave." Says Hank in answer. Once Artie has been gone a few minutes Hank makes his way to his desktop and starts researching. He's going to find that doctor's name and he's going to find Artie's last name and he's going to finally know. He's probably being crazy, but...just to be sure. 


	8. Confrontation

When Artie gets back, Hank is staring at him. Sitting in a chair by the window, right on the imaginary line that divides Artie's side of the room from Hank's. 

"I didn't wanna believe it." Says Hank. He's cold. Usually his anger comes in yells and slaps and insults but his eyes are cold and he's barely moving. "But I guess I shouldn't have been surprised. Did you know who I was, Arthur?"

"What?" Artie asks. He doesn't bother laughing nervously. It's clear that whatever this is, it isn't a joke. 

"You killed my son."

"What? I swear I've never hurt-"

"YOU KILLED MY SON." Hank drowns out Artie's voice. "You and your goddamn incompetence. If you had just done your fuckin' job...but I guess that's in the past, isn't it. No point wishing you had done something different."

"So...we're cool?"

Hank draws his gun. "No Artie. No. We're not fucking cool." 


	9. Confrontation Part 2

"Hanky..." Artie says

"Shut the fuck up, Arthur." The gun is shaking in Hank's hands. 

Artie's teeth click, his mouth shuts so quickly. 

Hank stares at him. Artie stares back. 

"What is this about?" Artie asks after a second.

"What is this about?" Hank laughs grimly "What is this about? You really don't even fucking know. It didn't even fucking register in your fucking icehead brain that you'd killed a child, did it?" 

"What?"

"YOU were supposed to do the surgery you bastard. Not some android that didn't know his ass from his elbow; YOU." 

"Hank-"

"SHUT UP ALREADY" Hank yells again. "I don't wanna fucking hear it Artie. You know how long I've imagined this? I always pictured you trying to make excuses, trying to calm me down. I never realized how pathetic it would be in real life." Hank is snarling. Artie has never seen a person snarl in real life before. 

"How could I kill him if I wasn't even ther-" 

The gunshot leaves Hanks ears ringing. Artie shrieks and grabs at his arm where a dark red stain is spreading over his stupid shirt. Hank walks out of the room. He's not going to wait around to be arrested. He's an old man. They'll find him and arrest him and it doesn't fucking matter. None of it fucking matters. He was supposed to feel better after this. Cole's killer was supposed to die. Instead he shot Artie in the arm. Why did he go for the arm? Hank berates himself. _Sorry Cole. Your old man's still pathetic, no matter how many chances he gets._

_Sorry Connor. I shot you in the head but I couldn't even kill a murderer._

He's an old man. He's not going to wait around to be arrested and he's not going to be able to outrun anybody. 

Hank takes a deep breath and pulls the trigger again. This time, he aims for the head. Another gunshot goes off. 

* * *

When Artie hears it, it takes a second for him to realize what's happened. He spends another good thirty seconds believing that he will not press charges and eventually Hank will forget all about this. It's understandable, he supposes, and while he's angry, and will definitely be requesting a roommate transfer, there's no point spending the rest of his life in a courtroom. 

And then it catches up to him. What the gunshot must mean, knowing Hank. Grumpy, angry Hank, who for some stupid reason he'd considered his friend. 


End file.
